Power driven tag marking machine



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' rowan muvzm TAG MARKING mamas Filed June 15, 1933 4 Sheets-Sheet l Jan. 14, 1936.

F. w. LAENCHER FOWER DRIVEN TAG MARKING IACHINE med Jun 15. 1935.

4 sheets-sheet 2 Jan.14,1936. F.W.LAENCHER 2,027,736

POWER DRIVEN TAG MARKING MACHINE Filed June 15, 1955 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Kb V a WWI -31 1i 7 ZII-YVENTOE Jan. 14, 1936. E w LAENCHER 2,027,736

POWER DRIVEN TAG MARKING MACHINE Filed June 15, 1935 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Patented Jan. 14, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Frederick W. Laencher, Flushing, N. Y., assignor to A. Kimball Company, New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application June 15, 1933, Serial No. 675,919

11 Claims.

This invention relates to tag marking or printing machines, and pertains more particularly to inachines driven by power, as by an electric m- It is an object of the present invention to provide a simple and inexpensive drive mechanism which may be easily controlled. by the operator.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear hereinafter.

A preferred embodiment of the invention selected for purposes of illustration is shown in the accompanying drawings, in which,

Figure 1 is a top plan view of the machine.

Figure 2 is a side elevation showing the parts in stop position.

Figure 3 is a similar View showing the parts in operating position.

Figure 4 is a front elevation of the machine, and Figure 5 is a rear elevation.

Referring to the drawings, the marking machine illustrated is of the general type described in Laencher Patent No. 1,837,450, dated December 22, 193-1. Such machines comprise means for feeding strips of tags intermittently, means for printing the tags, and usually means for severing the strip into individual tag lengths. Such means will not be described in detail in this application inasmuch as the invention here is principally concerned with the application of power drive means to such machines, rather than withthe details of the feeding, printing and severing mechanisms.

In machines of the type illustrated in the said patent, the various parts including the feed mechanism, the printing mechanism and the severing mechanismare operated and controlled by a main shaft operated by a hand wheel as described in the said patent.

In the present machine the corresponding mechanisms are also operated and controlled through a main shaftlwhich is driven by the electric motor 2 througha speed reducing. drive mechanism. The said speed reducing drive mechanism comprisesathe fiy wheel 3 which is fixed to the shaft t, friction roller 4, and roller 5 secured tothe armature shaft of the motor. For convenience in description the said roller 5 may be considered tobe an integral part of said armature shaft, it being made removable only to provide an easy means of varying the speed of operation of themach-ine by substituting rollers of different size. The friction roller 4 is rotatably mounted on an arm .6 which is pivotally mountedon the frame of the machine asbymeans of the shaft I which iscarried by the bracket The electric motor 2 is also pivotally connected 5 to the frame of the machine and may be conveniently carried. on the shaft 1 previously referred to, as illustrated in Figure 1. The electric motor normally hangs on its pivotal mounting in such manner that its armature shaft or roller 5 rests in engagement with the friction roller 4, but may be disengaged therefrom for purposes hereinafter explained.

Mounted on the side frame of the machine on a stud II is an operating lever 12 having one .end projecting beyond the front face of the machine and having a key 113 thereon for convenient manipulation by the machine operator. The other end of the lever I2 extends rearwardly and is connected with one end of a coil spring 14 which serves to normally hold the lever l2 in the position illustrated in Figure 2.. This position may be referred to as the stop position of the lever because when in that position the machine cannot operate. The rear end of the said lever I2 is also provided with a bevelled surface l5 whichcooperates with a roller l6 mounted on the foot 11 which is connected to the motor casing. As will be observed, when. the lever I2 is depressed to the start position illustrated in Figure 3, the rear end of the lever moves out of engagement with the roller It, thus allowing the armature shaft roller 5 to engage the friction roller 4, but when the lever I 2 is permitted to return to its normal positionas illustrated in Figure 2 the bevelled surface 15 engages the roller It to move the motor and the armature shaftupwardly to cause the same to be disengaged from the friction roller 4.

The switch for controlling the application of current to the motor 2 is mounted inside of the machine casing, but the switch operating lever I8 projects through the side wall of the casing into the path of the lever l2, so that as the lever I2 is moved from the position shown in Figure 2 to the position shown in Figure 3, the said switch operating lever is engaged by the lever l2 and moved to close the said switch to operate said motor. switch is timed so that the motor is started just prior to the time when the armature shaft roller engages the friction roller 4, and conversely when the lever I2 is released, the armature shaft is caused to disengage the roller 5 just prior to the Preferably, the operation of the said time when the switch is operated to stop the motor.

It is desirable in operating marking machines by power that the machine should always be caused to stop at the end of one complete cycle of operation. In the present machine, the parts are so organized that one complete revolution of the shaft I causes a complete operating cycle, and means are provided for causing the machine, when once started, to continue the cycle of operation until completed. For this purpose a cam 20 is secured to the shaft I, and the said cam cooperates with the member 2|, which preferably forms an extension of the lever [2, in such manner that the lever i 2, when once depressed to the start position shown in Figure 3, cannot return to the stop position illustrated in Figure 2 until the cam and the shaft I have made a complete revolution.

Actually, it will be observed that the cam is so shaped as to permit the lever to return far enough to open the switch and to permit the armature shaft to disengage the friction roller when the cycle is approximately three-fourths complete, but the inertia of the fly wheel 3 and the connected parts of the machine is sufficient to cause the cycle to be completed. If desired, in order to insure that the machine will always stop at the proper point, a brake shoe 22 may be secured to the operating lever I2 in position to engage the fly Wheel when the lever l2 reaches the end of its upward movement.

In case it is desired to operate the machine continuously, a latch 23 is provided to hold the lever I2 in its depressed position as illustrated in Figure 3.

In power driven machines of this type it is frequently desirable to provide means for positioning the strips of tags in proper feeding position, and in the preferred embodiment of the invention illustrated herein a movable abutment has been provided, together with means for moving the abutment out of the path of the strip as the feeding operation begins.

Referring to Figures 2 and 4, the said abutment comprises a pin 25 slidably mounted in an aperture in the table 26 along which the tags are fed to printing position. The lower end of the said pin is provided with a grooved head 21 which is engaged by fingers 28 which project forwardly from the slide 29. The slide is held in place by guide finger 30. The slide 29 is pivotally connected to the lever 3| which is yieldably urged upwardly by the coil spring 32 so as to normally hold the pin 25 in the position illustrated in Figure 2, that is, projecting above the table sufliciently to form an abutment for the tags. The end of the lever 3| projects through an aperture 33 in the casing in such manner as to lie in the path of the lever I2 when same is depressed to start the machine. As will be observed, the lever 31 is thereby depressed to move the pin 25 out of the path of the tags so as to permit the same to feed. If the machine is stopped before the strip is exhausted, the pin 25 remains depressed due to its engagement with the under surface of the strip of tags, the tension of the spring 32 being relatively light, and insufficient to displace the tags.

It will be understood that the invention may be variously modified and embodied within the scope of the subjoined claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a tag marking machine having tag feeding means and tag printing means, in combination, a main drive shaft operating said feeding means and printing means in timed relation, a fly-wheel mounted thereon, a pivotally mounted friction wheel resting against said fly-wheel, a pivotally mounted motor having an armature shaft adapted to engage said friction wheel, a switch controlling said motor, a pivotally mounted lever for operating said switch, said lever having an extension engaging said motor to move the same to cause said armature shaft to engage said friction wheel as said switch is closed and to cause said armature shaft to disengage said friction wheel as said switch is opened, a cam on said main drive shaft engaged by a second extension on said lever, said cam being shaped to prevent said lever from moving to open said switch except in a predetermined position of said drive shaft, and a brake shoe mounted on said lever in position to engage said fly-wheel when said lever is moved to open said switch.

2. In a tag marking machine having tag feed:

ing means and tag printing means, in combination, a main drive shaft operating said feeding means and printing means in, timed relation, a fly-wheel mounted thereon, a pivotally mounted friction wheel resting against said fiy-wheel, a pivotally mounted motor having an armature shaft adapted to engage said friction wheel, a switch controlling said motor, a pivotally mounted lever for operating said switch, said lever having an extension engaging said motor to move the same to cause said armature shaft to engage said friction wheel as said switch is closed and to cause said armature shaft to disengage said friction wheel as said switch is opened, a cam on said main drive shaft engaged by a second extension on said lever, said cam being shaped to prevent said lever from moving to open said switch except in a predetermined position of said drive shaft.

3. In a tag marking machine having tag feeding means and tag printing means, in combination, a main drive shaft operating said feeding means and printing means in timed relation, a fly-wheel mounted thereon, a pivotally mounted friction wheel resting against said fly-wheel, a pivotally mounted motor having an armature shaft adapted to engage said friction wheel, a switch controlling said motor, a pivotally mounted lever for operating said switch, said lever having an extension engaging said motor to move the same to cause said armature shaft to engage said friction wheel as said switch is closed and to cause said armature shaftto disengage said friction wheel as said switch is opened, and means to prevent said lever from moving to open said switch except in a predetermined position of said drive shaft.

4. In a tag marking machine having tag feeding means and tag printing means, in combination, a main drive shaft operating said feeding means and printing means in timed relation, a fiy-wheel mounted thereon, a pivotally mounted friction wheel resting against said fly-wheel, a pivotally mounted motor having an armature shaft adapted to engage said friction wheel, a switch controlling said motor, a pivotally mounted lever for operating said switch, said lever having an extension engaging said motor to move the same to cause said armature shaft to en gage said friction wheel as said switch is closed and to cause said armature shaft to disengage said friction wheel as said switch is opened.

5. In a tag marking machine having tag feeding means and tag printing means, in combination, a main drive shaft operating said feeding means and printing means in timed relation, a fly-wheel mounted thereon, a pivotally mounted friction wheel resting against said fly-wheel, a pivotally mounted motor having an armature shaft adapted to engage said friction wheel, a pivotally mounted lever engaging said motor to move the same to cause its armature shaft to engage and disengage said friction wheel, a cam on said main drive shaft engaged by a part of said lever, said cam being shaped to prevent said lever from moving to disengage said armature shaft from said friction wheel except in a predetermined position of said drive shaft.

6. In a tag marking machine having tag feeding means and tag printing means, in combination, a main drive shaft operating said feeding means and printing means in timed relation, a fly-wheel mounted thereon, a pivotally mounted friction wheel resting against said fly-wheel, a pivotally mounted motor having an armature shaft adapted to engage said friction wheel, a pivotally mounted lever engaging said motor to move the same to cause its armature shaft to engage and disengage said friction wheel, and means to prevent said lever from moving to disengage said armature shaft from said friction wheel except in a predetermined position of said drive shaft.

7. In a tag marking machine having tag feeding means and tag printing means, in combination, a main drive shaft operating said feeding means and printing means in timed relation, a fly-Wheel mounted thereon, a pivotally mounted friction wheel resting against said fly-wheel, a. pivotally mounted motor having an armature shaft adapted to engage said friction wheel, a pivotally mounted lever engaging said motor to move the same to cause its armature shaft to engage and disengage said friction Wheel, means to prevent said lever from moving to disengage said armature shaft from said friction wheel except in a predetermined position of said drive shaft, and a brake shoe mounted on said lever in position to engage said fly-Wheel when said lever is moved to disengage said parts.

8. In a tag marking machine having tag feeding means and tag printing means, in combination, a main drive shaft operating said feeding means and said printing means in timed relation,

a motor, speed reducing drive mechanism intermediate said shaft and the drive shaft of said motor, a switch controlling said motor, and means for closing and opening said switch and simultaneously connecting and disconnecting said drive mechanism, and means to prevent said means from operating to open said switch except in a predetermined position of said main drive shaft.

9. In a tag marking machine having tag feed- 10 ing means and tag printing means, in combination, a main drive shaft operating said feeding means and said printing means in timed relation,

a motor, speed reducing drive mechanism intermediate said shaft and the drive shaft of said 15 motor, a switch controlling said motor, and a lever for closing and opening said switch, said lever having a member connected thereto and operated thereby for simultaneously connecting and disconnecting said drive mechanism.

10. In a tag marking machine having tag feeding means and tag printing means, in comb-ination, a main drive shaft operating said feeding means and said printing means in timed relation, a motor, a speed reducing drive mechanism including a friction wheel intermediate said shaft and the drive shaft of said motor, a switch controlling said motor, and a lever for closing and opening said switch, said lever having a member connected thereto and operated thereby for 30 simultaneously connecting and disconnecting the drive shaft of said motor to and from said friction wheel.

11. In a tag marking machine having tag feeding means and tag printing means, in combination, a main drive shaft operating said feeding means and said printing means in timed relation, a fly-wheel mounted thereon, a pivotally mounted friction wheel mounted to engage said flywheel, a motor having an. armature shaft adapted to engage said friction wheel, a switch controlling said motor, a lever for operating said switch, said lever being adapted to cause relative motion between the armature shaft of said motor and said friction wheel to cause the two to be engaged when said lever is moved to close said switch and to cause the two to be disengaged whenv said lever is moved to open said switch.

FREDERICK W. LAENCHER. 5o 

